This post contains MAJOR SPOILERS from late in the set. Do not read this post unless you've read ALL of the books that have been published. You've been warned.
I previously tackled the subject of Oralie and how I see her character.
Keeper of the Lost Cities: Oralie and Sophie
The hatred of Oralie has worsened in the three years since I wrote that post. Some comments made on two recent posts are extreme.
Has Sophie been too mean to Oralie? (book 8 & 9 spoilers)
Will Oralie Choose Sophie Over the Council?
And now this:
Oralie
Whew. The hatred is intense, much more so than what is justified. Many Keeper fans are reading at surface level and have missed the nuance in the plot. Since Oralie's true motives are unstated, fans see her as a one-sided character who is a horrible person, even though her overall behavior implies otherwise.
Fans are also projecting their own feelings into the books. Most online fans appear to be under the age of 25. Youth are heavily invested in relationships and dating. The online KotLC discussions revolve around shipping the characters. To them, the Keeper series is about romantic pairings.
For those fans, preventing a person from dating who they want is the worst offense imaginable. Fans see Oralie as the sole reason that Sophie is unmatchable. They feel that Oralie has personally denied Sophie the ability to find the person she wants, so Oralie is a horrible person. Some fans have even stated that they like all of the actual villains better than Oralie.
Fans say that Oralie should never have donated her DNA knowing that Sophie would be unmatchable. This is an astonishing interpretation. Sophie only exists and is who she is because of exactly who her specific parents are. Sophie's life isn't perfect, but she would not otherwise exist.
The more reasonable fans point out that we don't know everything about Oralie. The books are written in third person limited. The readers only know what Sophie knows. The adult characters, for the most part, do not explain their actions to Sophie.
"There's a lot you don't know about me," Oralie said. (Stellarlune, page 181)
This is Shannon's way of telling us that something important has not been revealed about Oralie, and it will be a significant plot development.
Fans say that Oralie only donated to Project Moonlark to have a child. That's what Oralie says, but I don't think it's the real reason at all. Oralie had some reason for donating to Project Moonlark, and it's not just because she wanted a child.
So what is the real reason? When taken at face value, Councillor Oralie donating to Project Moonlark makes absolutely no sense. When I first read through the books in early 2023, I thought it was a little strange but didn't try to figure it out.
Over the years, a few people have theorized that Oralie is a Ruewen. Each time, I dismissed the idea immediately, because it didn't seem plausible. In fact, my reaction was identical to the way most fans react to my Kenric/Forkle theory. Back in April, a fan pointed out the naming convention of the Ruewen family. When I first read that post, I rejected it as impossible. I just didn't see any reason to consider something so unlikely to be true. Later, I decided that I shouldn't just dismiss it. I starting thinking about it.
Edaline and Juline are sisters, and their names both end in "ine." Juline's children are Dex, Bex, Rex, and Lex, and their names all end in "ex."
Jolie and Oralie's names both end in "ie." Furthermore, Edaline named the flareadon "Gildie," which is another "ie" name. Could this mean that Oralie is the daughter of Grady and Edaline?
When this was discussed on Reddit, one fan pointed out that Kesler named the children, not Juline. However, Kesler could have honored the Ruewen naming tradition because Juline wanted him to do that.
We can't dismiss the Ruewen naming convention as meaningless. Shannon has stated how important names are in the Keeper series, so she chose the rhyming Ruewen names for a reason. I've thought about this a lot since April, and my conclusion is that the names are a huge clue.
I've long been convinced that Sophie's parents are Kenric and Oralie. I have wondered how that would affect Grady and Edaline, and I don't think it would be good. If Sophie's parents turn out to be very prominent, likeable elves, then Grady and Edaline could naturally feel threatened by them or jealous.
If Oralie were Grady and Edaline's daughter, then they would be Sophie’s grandparents. They would be pleased that Sophie was a Ruewen by blood and would feel no jealousy towards Sophie's biological parents.
I'd love for that to be true. My problem is that I don't understand why nobody has told Sophie that Oralie is a Ruewen. All of the adults must know. Sophie's friend group might not, but Marella seems to know everything. I'm surprised that she doesn't know.
How could Oralie be a Ruewen, then? It's possible that when an elf is elected to the Council that they effectively disown their family. The elves might have a rule forbidding anybody from speaking of the Councillors' families. If such a rule exists, then the punishment might be banishment or exile. If this is the case, then that would explain why no one has told Sophie.
[Oralie] "Sometimes rebellion is the only course of wisdom. As all of you well know." (Neverseen, page 23)
When Oralie decided to donate to Project Moonlark, she helped a rebel group. Oralie rebelled, because something had happened. Back in May, I created a timeline of events leading up to Sophie's birth (view link).
- 4 years before Sophie's birth: Prentice Endal is recruited as Kenric's Keeper. Jolie is recruited to the Black Swan by Prentice.
- 3 years before Sophie's birth: Jolie dies.
- 2 years before Sophie's birth: Oralie is recruited.
Jolie joined the Black Swan and was killed. Her death was ruled an accident by the Council, infuriating Grady so much that he resigned his job with the Council. If Oralie were a Ruewen, then she would have been furious as well. Jolie's death could be the reason why Oralie helped the Black Swan.
It is possible. Do the books have any clues other than the Ruewen naming convention?
Shannon is a master of misdirection. She leaves us clues while simultaneously misleading us. I suspect that Shannon's use of the phrase "only daughter" could be a means to keep readers from guessing the truth.
"Grady and Edaline lost their only daughter about fifteen years ago." (Keeper, page 128)
Sixteen years ago to the day, Grady and Edaline had lost their only daughter in a tragic fire. (Exile, page 55)
Sixteen years ago, Grady and Edaline had lost their only daughter in a suspicious fire... (Everblaze, page 76)
They'd lived in a deep fog of depression ever since they'd lost their only daughter, Jolie, to a fire seventeen years before. (Neverseen, page 15)
Before she'd moved in with them, Grady and Edaline had spent sixteen years hiding away, mourning the death of their only daughter. (Lodestar, page 16)
Shannon makes sure that we know that Jolie was the only daughter. Notice that the "only daughter" repetition is in the early books in the series. While reminding us that Jolie was the only daughter, Shannon uses the same group of books to reveal that Sophie looks like Jolie.
[Edaline] "She does remind me of her." (Keeper, page 377)
[Edaline] "I'm sorry. It just surprised me because it makes you look even more like her." (Exile, page 61)
[Grady] "Yes, you remind us of her in certain small ways." (Everblaze, page 504)
[Prentice] "You remind me of her." (Lodestar, page 89)
[Sophie] "Everyone kept telling me I look like her—" (Legacy, page 252)
Shannon makes a point of saying that Jolie was the "only daughter" and repeatedly indicates that Sophie looks like Jolie. And then there's this:
[Sophie] But now that she knew she wasn't related to Jolie, she was happy to leave her mother's true identity a mystery. (Everblaze, page 459)
Sophie rules out being related to Jolie in Everblaze, and that passage could be like the Forkle Parent Lie of Neverseen. The Forkle Parent Lie is a clever bit of author misdirection that has tricked most fans, and Sophie's conclusion that she isn't related to Jolie might be more misdirection. By declaring that something isn't true, Shannon keeps readers from considering it as a possibility.
When Sophie decided that she wasn't related to Jolie, it was because she learned that Jolie wasn't her mother. Jolie could still have been Sophie's aunt, which Sophie never considered, since Jolie was the "only daughter."
"Grady and Edaline will always be your family, with or without their crest on your cloak," Oralie assured her. (Legacy, page 198)
Taken at face value, the above statement isn't revealing. After all, Grady and Edaline have become family, and whether Sophie wears their crest won't change anything. But it's also possible that Grady and Edaline are Sophie's biological relatives, and Oralie's statement is the literal truth.
In Legacy, both Oralie and Bronte arrive at Havenfield to travel with Sophie to an important meeting with the dwarves. Before they leave, Oralie learns that Sophie is looking for her parents and has accused Bronte of being her father. Oralie is quite upset, and at this point in the narrative, it's not apparent why.
Oralie had decided to stay behind when they'd left Havenfield, and at first Sophie had found that to be a little strange. (Legacy, page 425)
Sophie decided that Oralie just didn't want to go through the mud pit. The real reason was tied to Oralie being upset that her identity as Sophie's mother could be revealed. If Oralie is Edaline's daughter, then she might have stayed behind to talk to her mother. I don't think Oralie would have confided in Edaline. Rather, Oralie just needed some comfort. She could have just told Edaline that Council decisions were weighing on her.
"I have no idea how I stood there so calmly. I've always hated fire. Even before..." (Stellarlune, page 235)
This passage could be quite telling. If Oralie is a Ruewen, then Jolie's death by fire might be the reason Oralie already hated fire before Kenric's death. It's also possible that Oralie's full remark might have been, "I've always hated fire. Even before Jolie's death." We assume that Oralie was referring to Kenric's death, but she could have been referring to Jolie.
Oralie apparently had Sophie placed with the Ruewens, although the first book has a contradictory passage. Della announces that the Council denied the Vackers' guardian request but did approve Grady and Edaline (Keeper, page 97). That makes it sound like the Council's decision. But the next day, Alden tells Sophie that he selected her guardians (Keeper, page 114). I believe that Alden's remark should be considered a continuity error, or we could just assume that he misspoke, which fixes the problem.
After Sophie learns that Oralie is her mother, Oralie reveals that she pushed the Council to have Grady and Edaline adopt Sophie (Legacy, page 671). Oralie adds, "I knew you needed each other."
This is an odd comment. Why did Oralie care so much about providing Grady and Edaline with an adopted daughter? It's especially strange considering that Grady and Edaline didn't seem thrilled that they were bringing a young girl into their home. Grady and Edaline were apparently forced to adopt Sophie. It makes sense if Oralie purposefully placed Sophie with her own family.
All things considered, Oralie is likely a member of the Ruewen family. I initially rejected the theory and have gradually come around. At present, I am 75% convinced that Oralie is Grady and Edaline's daughter and helped Project Moonlark because of Jolie's death. If this is how the plot plays out, then Oralie's motivation can be explained and is not selfish.
All of my past Keeper posts are linked from this page:
Keeper of the Lost Cities Summaries, Reviews, and Theories
I appreciate those who have commented on my posts. If you ever want to comment, you can do so at the end of every post using a screen name. First, click in the text box but don't type anything. Look right above where you clicked to see a drop-down menu where one option is "Name/URL." Enter a name (no URL needed), and that name will display on the comment.
